Welcome to the Water Margin Podcast. This is episode 51. Last time, Song Jiang and his bandit friends from Clear Winds Mountain had decided to ditch their humble abode and go join up with the outlaws on Liangshan. Along the way, Song Jiang and Hua Rong came upon a couple warriors who were mirror images of each other in their fighting skills, demeanor, and weapon of choice. They even had nicknames with parallel structures. And just to hammer home the point, they each occupied a mountain at a place called Reflections Peaks. But instead of being bosom buddies who celebrated their commonalities, they were archrivals obsessing over their differences, namely their difference of opinion on who should control that turf. When Song Jiang and Hua Rong found them, these two warriors had been fighting for days. But when Song Jiang introduced himself, the two nemesis -- Lü Fang and Guo Sheng -- instantly became united by their common admiration for Mr. Timely Rain. They took turns inviting Song Jiang and his whole entourage to feast on their respective peaks each day. During the banquets, Song Jiang told them, “Hey why don’t you guys come with us to Liangshan?” And they were like, hell yeah! So they packed up and joined the gang. But before the whole group set out again, Song Jiang said, “Hold on. We can’t go to Liangshan like this. We have almost 500 troops. Liangshan has eyes and ears everywhere. If they think we’re government forces going to pacify them, it’s gonna be trouble. Let me and Yan (4) Shun (4) go on ahead to let them know, and the rest of you follow behind. We’ll continue to travel in three groups.” Everybody agreed, and it was decided that Song Jiang and Yan Shun, the former head chieftain of Clear Winds Mountain, would take a half day’s head start. So the two of them each took a horse, along with about a dozen men, and set out ahead of the main group. Soon, two days passed, and it was approaching noon on the third day. As Song Jiang and Yan Shun rode, they noticed a big tavern on the side of the main thoroughfare. “Our men are tired from walking, let’s let them buy some wine first,” Song Jiang said. So they stopped and went inside the tavern. There were three large tables and a few smaller ones. One of the large tables was occupied by a single patron. This guy was about 6 feet tall and had a clean-shaven face with a yellow complexion, prominent cheekbones, and bright eyes. He wore a headscarf that was tied in a knot like a pig snout, with expensive circlets of twisted bronze thread hanging down behind. He wore a black silk tunic and had a white girdle around his waist. His legs were wrapped in knee-length stockings, and he wore hemp sandals. Next to him laid a short wooden staff, and on the far side of the table sat his bundle. Song Jiang said to the waiter, “We have a large party. Can you ask that gentleman to let us have the big table?” “I’ll take care of it,” the waiter said. Song Jiang and Yan Shun then found a place to sit down for now and told the waiter, “Bring us wine. Let each of our men have three big bowls first, and some meat if you have any. Then come pour us some wine.” Seeing that everyone else in Song Jiang’s party was standing, the waiter went over to the big table. The patron there looked like some kind of police officer, so the waiter said to him, “Sir, may I please trouble you to switch to another table so that those two government officials’ traveling party can have a place to sit?” But that man was quite testy and barked back, “It’s first come first serve! Who cares about some government official’s traveling party? I’m not switching!” Hearing this, Yan Shun muttered to Song Jiang, “Look at how rude he is.” “Let him be,” Song Jiang replied as he held Yan Shun back. “Don’t sink to his level.” But the man heard this exchange, and he turned and glared at Song Jiang and Yan Shun and scoffed. The waiter now said, “Sir, please help me out. What’s the big deal about switching?” But the guy now got pissed, and he smacked the table and scowled, “You asshole! You must be blind! Of all the people in here, how dare you pick on me and only ask me to move? Even if it were the emperor, I would say no. Keep yammering, and you’ll get a taste of my fist!” “Sir, what did I say?” the waiter protested indignantly. “Yeah, like you would dare to say anything!” the man snarled. Finally, Yan Shun had heard enough. He jumped up and said, “You there! If you don’t want to switch tables, fine! But leave him alone.” Those sounded like fighting words, and the man responded accordingly. He leaped to his feet, grabbed his short staff, and said to Yan Shun, “What’s it to you how I curse him?! There are only two men in this world that I respect. Everyone else is just mud under my feet.” Yan Shun didn’t like that, and he picked up a bench and was about to have it out with the guy. But Song Jiang quickly stepped between them and said to the guy, “Don’t make a scene yet. First let me ask you: Who are the two men in this world that you respect?” “If I told you, you would be awe-stricken.” “What are those two heros’ names?” Song Jiang asked again. “One of them lives in Cangzhou (1,1) Prefecture and is the descendant of the last emperor of the previous dynasty. He is Lord Chai Jin, known as the Little Whirlwind.” Song Jiang nodded slightly and asked, “Who’s the other one?” “This one is an amazing man, too. He is Song Jiang, the Timely Rain, the magisterial clerk at Yuncheng County.” At this point, Song Jiang couldn’t help but look over at Yan Shun and smirk, and Yan Shun had already put down the bench he was wielding. “Aside from those two men, I am not afraid of anyone, not even the emperor,” the man boasted. “Hold on,” Song Jiang interrupted him. “I actually know both of those men you mentioned. Where did you meet them?” “Well, since you know them, then I won’t lie. Three years ago I stayed at Lord Chai’s manor for about 4 months, but I haven’t met Song Jiang yet.” “Do you want to meet him?” “I’m on my way to look for him now.” “Who asked you to look for him?” “His brother, Song Qing, asked me to deliver a letter to him.” When he heard that, Song Jiang was delighted. He took the man by the arm and said, “With destiny, men come together from a thousand miles apart. Without it, they pass each other by. I am none other than Song Jiang.” The man studied his appearance for a moment, and then quickly fell to his knees and bowed, saying, “It’s heaven-sent that I ran into you, brother! I almost missed you and would’ve gone to Old Squire Kong’s place for nothing.” Song Jiang asked him, “Is my family ok?” “Brother, hear me,” the man said. “My name is Shi (2) Yong (3). I am from Daming (4,2) Prefecture and made my living as a gambler. People in my home village gave me the nickname the Stone General. I once killed a man in a gambling house with one punch, so I fled and hid at Lord Chai’s estate. I often heard people from the jianghu scene sing your praise, so I went to Yuncheng County to see you. But then I heard that you were traveling for business. So I met with your brother Song Qing. When he heard me mention Lord Chai, he told me that you were staying at Old Squire Kong’s manor on White Tiger Mountain. Because I wanted to make your acquaintance, your brother wrote this letter and asked me to take it to Old Squire Kong’s estate and ask you to hurry home.” When he heard that last part, Song Jiang got a bit suspicious. “How many days did you stay at my family’s estate? Did you see my father?” he asked Shi Yong. “I was only there for one night before leaving. I did not see the old squire.” Song Jiang now recounted the last few episodes of the podcast for Shi Yong, bringing him up to speed on where they were headed. Shi Yong was delighted. “Ever since I left Lord Chai’s estate, I have heard how generous and honorable you are,” he said. “Brother, since you are going to join up at Liangshan, please take me with you.” “That goes without saying,” Song Jiang told him. “What’s one more person?” Song Jiang then introduced Shi Yong to Yan Shun and asked the waiter to bring three cups of wine to celebrate the occasion. After the wine, Shi Yong hurriedly took out the letter for Song Jiang and handed it to him. As he took it, Song Jiang noticed something odd: The envelope was sealed the opposite way, and it was not inscribed with the usual “All’s well” on the outside.